The technical side of a family investment company, without taking over your client.

We design the tax structure and the plan, and the accountant keeps the client's accounts, corporation tax return and personal tax work. We send a written recommendation and a structure chart, tell the accountant which filings and records the company will need, and stay available for technical questions. The accountant remains the client's accountant. We work with the one the client already has.

Whether the client has funds they can give up or lend for the long term; whether the company would be a close investment-holding company taxed at 25%; whether it would be an associated company of any other company the client controls; and how money will come out. Also check the settlements rules for minor children, and whether Business Relief or other planning would fit better.

Yes. We give tax advice and do not advise on what the company invests in, which is a matter for the client and their regulated financial adviser. The IFA can continue to manage the portfolio, with a mandate from the company. We help with how the investments are taxed inside the company, so the product choices suit a corporate investor.

It can. Most dividends a company receives are exempt, but interest and gains are taxed. A holding in a fund that is more than 60% in interest-bearing assets can be taxed on a fair value basis as a loan relationship, and a non-reporting offshore fund gives income treatment on disposal. Funds that suit an individual may not suit a company, so product review is worthwhile.

Yes, and many clients prefer that. We prepare the tax design and the instructions, the solicitor drafts the trust deed, articles and shareholders' agreement, and we review them against the plan. The alternative is our in-house legal team drafting them. The choice is the client's, and we will work with whichever route they prefer.

When they do not have a solicitor with family investment company experience, or want one team responsible for the tax design and the documents. The in-house legal team drafts the trust deed, articles and shareholders' agreement in line with the structure. The solicitor-led route remains available, and the client can change their mind. A client's own lawyer can always review the documents.

Our team prepares the valuation of freezer and growth shares in-house when shares are created or gifted. That keeps the valuation consistent with the tax plan and the documents. Valuing unquoted shares is a judgement, and HMRC values each case on its facts, so we explain the basis and the assumptions in writing, and the adviser can see them.

A short summary is enough: who the client and their family are, roughly how much might go in and where it comes from, the main assets and their base costs, any existing companies or trusts, what the client wants to achieve, and any dates that matter. Where possible, include the client's current will, if any, and whether they have a solicitor. Please check the client is content for you to share it.

That the first call is free, that it is a conversation and not a sales pitch, and that we may tell them a family investment company is not right. It helps if they have a rough list of assets and liabilities, the children's ages and any thoughts on control. Tell them we respond the same working day, and that you stay their adviser.

Yes, and we encourage it where you are happy to. You know the client and their circumstances, and being on the call means the advice is delivered once, to everyone. If you prefer, we can report to you first and you can pass it on. Tell us how you would like to be involved when you make contact.

To the client, with a copy to the adviser if the client agrees. The recommendation is addressed to the client because they are the person taking the decision. We are happy to talk it through with you first, in whichever order suits the relationship. We agree this at the outset, and the client always knows who is advising them.

The settlements rules on dividends to a parent's minor child, gift with reservation where the donor takes a benefit, the lack of income tax relief on personal borrowing to fund a close investment-holding company, the effect of associated companies on the corporation tax limits, the lack of Business Relief and Business Asset Disposal Relief, and the effect of altering share rights on existing shares.

Yes, but the structure needs care. A FIC can sit above a holding company or alongside it, and each arrangement has different tax consequences for associated companies, Business Relief and the trading tests. Our sister firm Holding Company covers the group side. We work with the client's corporate advisers on how the two fit together.

Yes. We can review the structure, the share classes, the loan account and the documents, and tell the client what works, what could be improved and what to watch. Converting existing shares into freezer or growth classes is possible but needs care, because altering share rights can be a transfer of value for inheritance tax and a value shift for capital gains tax.

Yes. A family investment company works best when the wills, lasting powers of attorney and letters of wishes fit the structure, and when any pre-nuptial agreements are handled by a family lawyer. We will say what the documents need to say and leave the drafting to the client's lawyer, or to our in-house legal team if the client prefers.

We work with the client's corporate finance and tax advisers, because timing matters. Putting sale proceeds into a family investment company is a different question from structuring the sale itself. Our sister firm Transaction Tax Partners covers sale planning, and we cover where the proceeds go. Speak to us before the sale completes if you can.

It depends on the engagement. Often the client's accountant or company secretary handles the confirmation statement and accounts, and the trustees or their adviser handle the Trust Registration Service. We list each obligation in a compliance note with who is responsible for it, so nothing falls between advisers. We can take on filings if the client prefers.